The Anzac Day AFL clash between Essendon and Collingwood is one of the highlights of the footy calendar - a game steeped in tradition and symbolism.

So too is the trophy taken away by the victors.

Standing about 30 centimetres high, the ANZAC trophy is not just any old trophy.

It sparkled in the sunlight during an outing onto Essendon's practice pitch near Tullamarine this week.

A rectangular glass column features poignant etchings - the names of football players who died during the war, images of soldiers from the Australian Infantry Forces in action and those evocative words "Lest We Forget".

The Essendon Football Club website says the cup was first awarded to the winning team in 2000 and the materials used to make the cup have great significance.

"The cup is made from glass, silver and bronze on a base of ironbark that comes from an ammunition wagon used in service at Villers-Bretonneux in France during WWI," the website says.